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A La Carte (January 8)

tuesday

I’m overseas today and don’t have access to all my usual accounts. That left me unable to track down any exciting new Kindle deals. We will try again tomorrow.

(Yesterday on the blog: What Amy Carmichael Hung on Her Wall)

My Daughter Asked Me to Stop Writing About Motherhood. Here’s Why I Can’t Do That

“Years ago, when I began publishing essays and submitting family pictures to editors, I considered the day my children would confront me about what I’d written. At the time, I’d read articles by parents of older children who were weighing the ethics of using their children’s stories or pictures for essay material, but my kids were too young to care what I shared about how they ate, how little they slept or how their taste in clothes was terrible. I remember thinking that one day I would have to answer for my work. Yet when the day finally arrived, I had no response prepared.”

Teach Your Teen How to Read Their Bible

Jen Wilkin counsels parents: “Parents contact me frequently to ask what devotionals or young adult Bible studies I would recommend they do with their teens. As our kids enter the teen years, our responsibility as their parents is to help them develop good habits of interacting with the Bible. Finding an approach that is age-appropriate and manageable is key. My encouragement is to simply read the Bible with your teen in a way that models and trains Bible literacy—no special teen resource required.”

Holy Boldness is Needed in Hostile Climates

“What are Christians to do in hostile climates and with cultural topics where orthodox Bible believing values are seen as an invitation to a fight?” That’s a growing question in the West.

The Book That Mobilized a Generation of Missionaries Turns 25

I enjoyed this assessment of one of Piper’s most important books. “Because of Piper’s immense influence on my life and thought, I have, on occasion, pondered the question of what might be his greatest contribution to the church and to her Lord? In turn, I then consider that question in my own life. What area of ministry is the Lord smiling on right now? What might be the most fruitful way to live out the rest of my days? I suggest you, too, from time to time, do likewise. To put all my cards on the table, my instinct is to say Piper’s greatest single contribution is Let the Nations Be Glad.”

Lessons from the Faith of Theodore Roosevelt on the Centennial of His Death

I enjoyed this one: “While Christian historians can never know with certainty if people from the past were truly born again, they can point to patterns in people’s lives. From my vantage point, Roosevelt’s life of faith offers both encouragement and caution. People are complex—and contemporary evangelicals can appreciate aspects of Roosevelt without adopting his outlook wholesale.”

3 Ways to Navigate Difficult Passages of the Old Testament

“It seems as if the opening books of the Bible derail many peoples’ attempts to read through God’s Word in a year. But there’s good news! Every believer can successfully navigate the Old Testament as they read through the Bible by keeping these three ideas in mind.”

10 Life Lessons That Leading Worship 600 Times Taught Me

You must learn something when you lead worship that many times!

Flashback: Head Knowledge = Good. Heart Knowledge = Good.

Christianity is and must be a faith that involves the mind just as it is and must be a faith that involves the heart. The problem comes when there is a radical disconnect between the two.

Serve God with integrity, and if you achieve no success, at least no sin will lie upon your conscience.

—C.H. Spurgeon

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